Stats back Hammers cause

West Ham United have thoroughly dominated their opponents in all areas of their previous five draws in the npower Championship - except for the scorelines.

Independent statistics show the Hammers have completed more passes, had more shots on target, put in more crosses, had more final-third and penalty area entries and run further than Crystal Palace, Watford, Doncaster Rovers, Leeds United and Middlesbrough.

Sam Allardyce's side have consistently outplayed the opposition and the statistics show that West Ham have done more than enough to win all five of these games.

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Head of performance analysis David Woodfine (B.A. hons)  explained: "People will obviously look at results first and foremost, but these can hide the fact that the team has played well without being rewarded.

"It is clear to see from the statistics below that we have dominated possession, worked harder and created more goalscoring opportunities than our opponents.

"Variable factors also influence games and it is hard when external factors beyond our control have not gone in our favour. For example, Mark Noble could easily have added to his tally of successful penalty kicks had events been interpreted differently.

"Sometimes in football, you do not get what you deserve. I'm convinced that, if we continue to do the right things as we clearly have been, then it is only a matter of time before we turn our domination into the points return that the players' efforts warrant."

*All statistics are provided by Amisco (incorporating ProZone), the world leader company in sports match analysis, tracking technology and data creation.